Hawksbill Hope, Inc was founded in 2009 to aid in the conservation of Belize’s natural resources. Initial efforts have been providing support to monitoring nesting beaches and collecting data on endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtles.

Hawksbill Hope has successfully deployed two sea turtle satellite tags in the 2011 nesting season. Marymount University students assisted Dr. Rimkus and Kevin Andrewin with deploying the first tag on ‘Hope’. Kevin, who leads the local research and preservation team in Gales Point recently tag the second turtle, named Peace. Two more turtles will be tagged later this summer.

Marymount University offers Marine Biology, taught by Hawksbill Hope founder Dr. Rimkus, and cultural sociology courses in Gales Point Belize. Students assist with Hawksbill Sea Turtle nesting beach monitoring while living in the local community.

Hawksbill Hope works to provide funding and opportunities for Belizeans to be involved in the conservation of their natural resources. Gales Point residents are actively involved in the Hawksbill Sea Turtle nesting beach monitoring and data collection.

Greater Hope was tagged and released 8/31/2013, thanks to Kevin Andrewin, who was able to tag Greater Hope by himself in the rain. Greater Hope was photographed in 2009 where she nested in the same location. She was recognized from her barnacle pattern that remained the same since 2009. You can follow Greater Hope here: http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/index.shtml?tag_id=130826

While patrolling the beach on July 22, 2013 at approximately 2:00am students in Marymount University’s Belize study abroad program found a nesting female hawksbill sea turtle. Dr. Rimkus from Marymount University, and Kevin Andrewin from Gales Point attached a satellite tag and released her. The hawksbill sea turtle was named CareNaTo in honor of Andy Brown’s Caretta Nature [...]

First turtle of 2012 is Moochula! Her name was chosen by Leonard from Gales Point who found her wedged under a root system at the edge of the shore. Moochula is a local word from a sambii song that means nice, fine, sooo good!